I searched my Pinterest Dessert board last night to look for a recipe that included fruit and rolled oats, two items in my pantry needing use, and that also looked tasty. This recipe originally used raspberries so I had to adapt it a little since I had a can of Oregon dark sweet cherries in the cupboard that expired next month. I am sure now that you can use any fruit, canned or fresh or jam in this recipe making it very versatile!

To speed up the process, I put the stick of butter in the microwave for 4 second bursts, 3 times. This softened it slightly without melting it into the wrong consistency. I’d recommend next time multiplying 1 and a 1/2 times the pastry portion of the recipe as I could have used a little more on the bottom and especially the top. The end result was more of a thin crust as the top layer of the bar. I also added about 1/4 cup of strawberry jelly to the cherries since they were not in syrup.

The bars are absolutely delicious. The bottom and top pastry parts are lightly buttery and the inside is sweet but not cloyingly. We enjoyed them about an hour after cooling down because right from the oven they need to rest to solid a bit. I refrigerated the rest of the bars covered in saran wrap and had one for breakfast–so good!

Raspberry Oatmeal Cookie Bars
Recipe by: Allrecipes.com, courtesy of Marbalet

Serves: 9

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 can = 15 oz. canned cherries (addition by Everyday Cooking Adventures)
• 3/4 cup seedless raspberry or strawberry jam

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease one 8-inch square pan, and line with greased foil.

2. Combine brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and rolled oats. Rub in the butter using your hands or a pastry blender to form a crumbly mixture.

3. Press 2 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the jam and canned cherries to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top, and lightly press it into the jam.

4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool before cutting into bars.